Christmas Time With the Dog
Jasmine, our rescue Golden Chow really has a high value on order. She likes order in her home, order in her routine, order in her food, and order in what her people do. Needless to say, Christmas has put her in line for a dosage of Prozac.
First we rearrange the guest room and make it into a needed guest bedroom. There were all kinds of big things being moved in and around her guarded space. Then , we had to move some things out of the family room for our Christmas tree. Then, of course, we brought in this very large tree, right into the house. You could see the worried and puzzled look on her face. Her eyes were saying “oh my, oh my, the humans have gone over the edge, what is happening here!”.
Preparing for the outside decoration didn’t help matters. In the hallway that leads to her space and her trusted crate, I had 6 fifteen foot icecycle strings of lights plugged in and warming up. At this point, Jasmine was sure there was an invasion going on, and she would never be able to sleep in peace again.
Finally all the furniture found its correct place, and the large tree that was now very predominant in the family room standing tall and steady. As the major moving and rearranging came to a close, Jasmine began to settle a bit. But now she had to smell everything, and try to determine if all of these new and different things were friends or foes. As she moved about from one room to another with the nose in overdrive, you could see the wheels in her brain spinning feverishly. “Ok, looks like nothing is going to jump out and bite”, you could see her thinking.
Trimming the Christmas tree is a really fun and joyful time. I am always in amazement that the tree lights seem to work year after year, yet the outdoor lights barely make it through the holidays. When the tree ornaments are unboxed, it is like greeting old friends that you havn’t seen for a year. Jasmine didn’t share that nostalgia moment. More stuff, more disorder in her world, and another big thing thats blinks, reflects, and seems overpowering. She spent the entire time we trimmed the tree on her pillow in the office at the other side of the house. “Ahhhh, at last a room that has not been changed”, were the sugarplum thoughts running through her head as she lay on her pillow in the office.
When all the decorating was done, and all the new things sniffed out and passed her approval, Jasmine has again become calm and back in her routines. Although she was totally disrought during the decorating and rearranging, if her doggie friends were to stop by, I am sure she’d tell them it was HER idea, and doesn’t it look GREAT as she struts around Waggin’ Delightfully.
I totally can relate to this post! As I hear of other “laid back” dogs greeting things eagerly (sometimes too much so), I think I must be the only one that has an ultra cautious dog. Thanks for the post!
from, Nancy